Dr. Robert B. Ingram
Biography

The Honorable School Board Member Robert B. Ingram, Ph.D. not only serves as School Board District #1 representative, he serves as a Full-Professor and Assistant to the President for Urban Affairs at Florida Memorial University.

Dr. Ingram is the former Mayor of Opa-locka and the former President of the National Conference of Black mayors. Dr. Ingram comes to the table of academic excellence with the patient understanding of a pastor, the political knowledge of a government leader, the theoretical wisdom of a professor, and the assurance of an administrator.

As a School Board Member, Dr. Ingram oversees a district encompassing 1,205,813, 284 square footage with 52 schools and 43,663.00 students. He Chairs the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Program and serves on the Value Adjustment Board.

Before his most recent assignment, Dr. Ingram was Chairperson of the Extension and Continuing Education Division at Florida Memorial University. Dr. Ingram's responsibilities at that time included development of the Division's Interdisciplinary Degree program. Additionally, he developed the Credit for Life Experience Program along with an innovative program funded by the DeWitt Wallace-Reader’s Digest Fund to assist highly motivated Para-professionals earn their Bachelor's Degree in Education.

Dr. Ingram's strong academic credentials include a Ph.D. in Applied Behavioral Science, from Union Institute, Cincinnati, Ohio, Masters in Administration and Supervision of Adult Education and Bachelors of Science degree in Urban Justice both from Florida International University, Miami, Florida.

Evidencing a strong ability to work within complex organizations Dr. Ingram has been a positive force in fostering positive race relations, becoming the First African-American police officer to be assigned to the all-white section of downtown Miami.

Not only that, he was the first African- American police officer to be assigned to Miami's Prestigious Motorcycle Unit and then later to the Imposing Internal Security Unit (the unit that investigated complaints of police wrong doing).

Dr. Ingram was the first African-American police officer to retire from the Miami Police department and become Chief of an Urban Police Department (in the city of Opa-locka) and he was the first African American City Manager of South Miami, Florida.

Possessing the demonstrated ability to maintain and strengthen relationships with a wide range of constituencies, Dr. Ingram was appointed by Governor Lawton Chiles to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Institute of Non-Violence - where he serves as Chair. Additionally, he is a member of Miami Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi, Sigma Pi Phi, Alpha Rho Boule Fraternities; Dade County Performing Arts Trust, Salvation Army, Boy Scouts of America and the N.A.A.C.P. Furthermore Dr. Ingram serves as Pastor of Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church, Miami Gardens.

An oft-time herald Community Servant, Dr. Ingram is the recipient of over five hundred awards. Among them is the Peace and Unity Award from the St. Martin de Pores Association; awards from the United States Justice Department Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Immigration and Naturalization Service for Outstanding Community Service.

Further, Dr. Ingram has received, from the Metro-Dade Community Action Agency, the Outstanding Volunteer of the Year Award; he is also the recipient of the Living Legend Award from the W. J. Redmond Christian Academy (for thirty years of community service); and the Richard G. Hatcher Outstanding Mayor Award by the National Conference of Black Mayors for outstanding and dedicated service.

Not only that, Dr. Ingram is the recipient of the first President's Achievement Award for outstanding and dedicated service at Florida Memorial University. He was honored by the Union Institute as the Outstanding Alumnus of the Year. He received an award from the Cuban Doctors in Education for Outstanding Contributions to Education. Dr. Ingram has been honored as an Outstanding Graduate from every college and university he attended. Recently, Dr. Ingram received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Smith Chapel College, Tallahassee, FL.

Dr. Ingram has been the subject of numerous articles in magazines such as Jet,Cosmopolitan, and Reader's Digest. He has also been featured in the October/November '95 issue of African Profiles International, the September '83 edition of Ebony magazine, and was on the cover of the June-September ‘89 issue of Southern Dawn magazine. He was also listed in the May '95 issue of Ebony as one of the 100 Plus Most Influential Blacks in America. Dr. Ingram is married to the former Delores Newsome, and he has two daughters, six granddaughters, one grandson and two great grandsons. Dr. Ingram's motto is "Keep on struggling."